President Obama announced Sunday night that U.S. forces had raided a
Pakistani mansion and killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, the
mastermind behind the terror attacks of September 11, 2001. Hiding only 35
miles from Pakistan's capital of Islamabad, bin Laden met his demise 10
years after the 9/11 attacks in a firefight with a small team of U.S.
forces that launched a daring raid on the compound where he was holed up
with some trusted advisers.

In the months leading up to Sunday's triumphant operation, Obama
convened nine national security meetings on the subject, most of which
took place within the past six weeks. The array of information seized from
the Pakistani compound of Osama bin Laden and his reliance on couriers
suggests that the terror leader—despite nearly a decade spent in
hiding—still sought to provide strategic guidance to terrorists within the
organization. The material contained on about five computers, 100 remote
electronic storage devices, such as flash drives, and 10 hard drives is
one of the most significant in the history of the war on terror. Documents
seized in the raid on bin Laden's compound have yielded a myriad of new
intelligence, from names and locations of terrorist suspects to chilling
details of al-Qaeda plots to attack targets in the United States and
beyond.

Lawmakers celebrated the announcement of Osama bin Laden's death,
congratulating American troops, the intelligence community and the White
House for putting an end to the hunt for bin Laden. House Homeland
Security Chairman Rep. Peter King (R-NY), one of Obama's most vocal
critics on national security issues, commended the president. King
commended President Bush for "putting words into action," and remarked
that President Obama deserves equal credit for his "resolve in this long
war against al-Qaeda." Further, Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Carl
Levin (D-MI) added that Pakistani military and intelligence organizations
"have a lot of explaining to do" due to the proximity of bin Laden's hide
out to a major Pakistani military and intelligence complex. House Armed
Services Committee Chairman Howard "Buck" McKeon (R-CA) warned that even
as al-Qaeda affiliates in Yemen, Africa and Asia mourn the loss of their
leader, those groups will not waver in their determination to attack the
US.

House Armed Services Committee Completes Subcommittee
Markups

The House Armed Services Committee has completed all subcommittee
mark-ups on the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012.
However, the provisions must still be considered by the House Armed
Services Full Committee and on the floor of the House of Representatives.
The full committee markup will take place on Wednesday, May 11 in 2118
Rayburn House Office Building.

In a markup Wednesday, the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and
Capabilities recommended a slight increase in funding for the elite forces
that conduct cutting-edge counter-terrorism missions. The bill proposes an
additional $5 million over the $45 million originally requested for
"expansion of authority for support of special operations to combat
terrorism." In a statement, subcommittee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX)
said the panel also recommended increased funding to meet "unmet
requirements in ships and radios" for U.S. Special Operations Command,
also known as SOCOM.

The Armed Services Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee
approved, by voice vote, its portion of the fiscal 2012 defense policy
bill (HR 1540), including a provision to limit money for a program to
replace the Marine Corps' Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle, or EFV, until
the Navy provides Congress with a cost analysis for its replacement
program. Subcommittee Chair Todd Akin (R-MO) also announced his support
for the future of two legs of the nuclear triad by supporting the next
generation bomber program as well as the ballistic submarine replacement
program.

In the Readiness Subcommittee markup, signed off on a $275.8 billion
military readiness measure Thursday that proposes a reduction in spending
due to a drawdown of forces in Iraq and would allow for the 2005 Base
Realignment and Closure process to wind down. Chairman Randy Forbes (R-VA)
struck $30 million in funds for construction requirements to homeport a
nuclear aircraft carrier to Naval Station Mayport, Florida from its
location in Norfolk, VA.

The alternative engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the Abrams
Tank production line were both given new leases on life in the House Armed
Services Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces markup. Their
portion of the bill, approved by voice vote, includes a provision that
would allow for building a second engine for the fighter if the current
Pratt & Whitney engine failed to meet certain goals and additional
funding was needed. Armed Services members, including Chairman Rep. Buck
McKeon are considering stronger language, which could be added to the
authorization bill when the full committee meets next week to consider the
legislation.

The Subcommittee on Military Personnel marked up its portion of the
defense authorization bill Wednesday. At stake was language to block a
small increase in Tricare Prime enrollment fees for working-age retirees,
the first since 1995. The blocking maneuver long promised by Rep. Joe
Wilson (R-SC), subcommittee chairman, could be reversed next week when the
full committee does a final mark up of the entire defense bill. Chairman
McKeon believes "now might be the time to allow a modest increase" in
Tricare fees for retirees under 65, said committee spokesman Josh
Holly.

Strategic Forces Subcommittee chairman Mike Turner (R-OH) and ranking
member Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) recommended cutting $79.5 million from the
$10.2 billion request for unclassified space activities. The mark
included: transferring $142.2 million from Advanced Extremely High
Frequency (AEHF) for evolved AEHF military satellite communications
(MILSATCOM) to a separate program element for Next-Generation MILSATCOM
Technology Development; increase of $20 million for Space-Based Infrared
System (SBIRS) data exploitation; and an increase of $25 million for
Defense Reconnaissance Support Activities. The mark also contained
language that directs the Secretary of Defense to notify Congress if he
determines a space-based or terrestrial-based commercial communications
service will cause widespread harmful interference with DOD GPS
receivers.

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